Jane Kassim, a mother in the U.K., finally has the babies of her dreams. After learning at age 15 that she would be unable to have children because she was born without a womb, she wasn't sure it would ever be her reality to have biological children. Then, according to The Telegraph, her cousin stepped in and offered to be a surrogate, and last month Isla Jane and Ivy May were born.
A beautiful, touching story, so far, right? That is until she found out that because she used a surrogate, she would be denied the same maternity leave rights that other mothers have. Other new mothers (adoptive moms included) in the U.K. get a full 52 weeks of maternity leave (39 of them paid); Kassim was only offered 13 weeks with no paid leave at all. The blatant discrimination and disregard for what maternity leave should be about are incredible.
Surprisingly this case in the spotlight is in the UK, where we generally look with envy at their more generous maternity leave policies. But even there, women who use surrogates aren't given the same rights as other new mothers.
While maternity leave is necessary to a certain degree for the physical recovery of a woman, the other reason that's just as crucial is that it provides time for the mother and baby to bond. Moms need that time to get to know their baby, establish feeding routines, and begin to adjust to this new change in their lives. ALL new mothers need that, regardless of how a baby enters the world. To say any mother deserves anything less is shameful.
In the U.K., they're now taking a serious look at this inequity, and legislation has been introduced to change things. But what about here in the United States, where many women don't get paid maternity leave no matter how their babies came into the world? According to the Huffington Post, while current law provides American women with six weeks of paid leave, only about 50 percent of women are actually offered that because there are so many loopholes.
Overall, it's as sad as it is maddening, and just another example of how difficult it is for mothers to return to the workforce if they so wish.
Do you think women who use surrogates should be allowed the same maternity leave rights as women who carry their own children?
Image via Kunoel/Flickr
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Comments 75
They should get the same amount of time as adoptive mothers. They don't need the time a woman needs to recover from the pregnancy and birth since they experienced niether.
I'll take anytime UNPAID even if it means more time with my baby!!!
i never got ANY paid maternity leave.... i was back to work a week after giving birth... they found a couple loopholes and screwed me out of any kind of paid leave... it's not fair to women who work so hard to do that to them..
Thats bull of them and she deserves the same amount as all other new mothers. And its bull that we go without pay or a guarantee we have a job when we're able to work. I didn't get pay and when I was finally able to return my boss wouldn't let me come back. Just lovely.
they should get the same amount of time. Just like an adoptive parent, the woman doesn't have a recovering body from delivery, but they are still sleep deprived and adjusting to their new life.
What rights do adoptive parents have for leave in the UK? In the US, it might take FMLA to get 12 weeks unpaid leave, but that's at least available however someone ends up with a child.